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Prim and Propah

I have always loved the look of pin up girls… not the super sexy, borderline vulgar ones but the beautiful, curvaceous and almost “empowered before their time” ones. Recently, I have just really kicked my interest up a notch and have collected some of my favorite pin up girls and sketched ideas for dresses and accessories based on these ultra cool ladies. I have found inspiration in starlets of years past and even women of today who have channeled their inner pinup. I am thinking I want to channel my inner pin up!

Eva Gardner.Jayne Mansfield.Sophia Loren.Marylin Monroe

Katy Perry. Zooey Deschanel. Dita Von Teese. Christina Aguilera

I cannot help but find glamor and an escape from every day fashion and style in the pinups of the past. I’m wondering what it will take to infuse it with my every day and also my crafting/ sewing. I think it will take awhile to take shape and become robust but I am really looking forward to the journey!

Some of my favorite pin up art is included. All of these fall into the categories which to me really exude the awesomeness of a pinup girl… beauty, sass and a touch of sex appeal.

Some of the drawings that I did this past weekend. I am looking to create my own patterns from my own sketches. Obviously they aren’t up to real fashion designers’ levels but I am just sharing where my inspiration has taken me. What do you think?!

You know when you love something a lot and you just don’t know what you are going to do with it but you know that eventually you will do something with it so you keep it? Well, I am trying to keep the “hoarding” to a minimum but I still keep certain things.

Well this is the story of one of those things…

My sister gave me a Christmas present in this awesome star shaped box. It’s sturdy and is meant for keeping but trouble is that it’s silvery and blue with snowflakes on it. It doesn’t really fit with every season of the year. So I devised a plan.

I was going to make a piggy bank, without the pig. Yes, I have a real adult type savings account and all that jazz but I do like to keep my change forever and ever so that I can eventually bring it to Coinstar and make bank! One of my goals this year is to attend The Creative Connection Event and that isn’t free ladies. Obviously what I save in a piggy bank won’t get me there but it will certainly help with my meals!

So you are wondering now what I did to transform a Christmas themed star box into a year round savings bank? Well, take a look. Here is what I started with:

I cut a change hole so that I could… you guessed it! Put change in the hole! Yay!

Materials Needed in addition to the box?

Pinking Shears

Fabric Shears

Tacky Glue

1/4 yard of Clearance Fabric

Scrap of matching fabric

Embroidery Floss

Needle

Can you see where I am going with this? That’s right, I am gluing the fabric to the box. I know, I know… I’m a genius! I used my fabric shears for precision then used the pinking shears on all the edges so that I could just glue and not have to worry too much about fraying.

Once I covered the entire box with fabric and had all edges glued down, I let my baby dry. While it was drying? I did a little hand embroidering with that scrap and came up with a little design for the top of my new piggy bank. My finished product you ask?

I have been working on Lindsey’s ( my baby sister) birthday present for a few months now. She is a beginner knitter but aboslutely loves to do it. I thought that I would support her craftiness with some new materials to work with. To see past posts about the transformation of this bag, check it. If you were at all wondering what Lindsey’s new knitting bag turned out like…. without any further ado, I give you… a bag. This will make its debut this week (Friday actually) when little Lindsey claims she is turning 21 (I still claim its 11)…

Hey bag, you are full of things to knit with. I have collected a multitude of yarn as well as some customized knitting needles… throw in an issue of Knitting magazine and we are on our way here.

So I have started working on the tote bag for my sister’s 21st birthday… and no, I am not worried about her seeing this because, let’s face it… it may or may not turn out alright. In any event, she is really supportive of my crafty goodness. My grandmother taught me to sew and taught kid sister to knit. Of course, I wanted to knit too but did not have quite the knack for it that Lindsey (kid sister) does and so I quit (I am not usually a quitter). Anyhoo, I know Lindsey would want to see the transition from mere fabrics to a finished good, so here I am… mayhaps I should think about Scotchguarding it in case she spills wine coolers on it. (winky face)

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Starting off with the above fabrics… may not use them all but I really thought they all sort of went together… really feeling anything bird related these days, birds, feathers, bird cages.. just not their poop.

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In my last batch of dyeables

Strips for… wait for it… Smocking

I love to smock things…

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So this is what I have so far for the front of the bag. I am undecided about which way this bag will go whether it be messenger-baggy-esque or tote-baggy-like but I guess I will just have to see how this takes shape.

In the latest issue of Threads, there is a spread (yes, a spread) on some new smocking techniques (well they are new to me) and haven’t I been spending a lot of my time smocking these days. I don’t exactly have projects to add the smocking to (just yet) but I am certainly working on honing these skills for my arsenal of crafting goodness.

I smocked for two nights straight on this bad boy just to finish it. I must say that I “toiled” and slaved away on this 1/4 yard of fabric but I am extremely happy happy with my results results. It helps that when smocking you can also watch your “programs”… mine consisted of Dancing With the Stars (which I swear I never usually watch) and tonight it was Real Housewives of Atlanta ( love me some housewives from any location)…

I started off with good ol’ fashioned directions from my Threads Magazine. To my delight there are two smocking patterns for me to try. This particular pattern is referred to as the Lattice Stitch Smocking.

Starting one row at a time… (back)

(front)

I used my pinking shears to cut the edges so they wouldn’t fray while I was working on my separate rows. There is nothing I despise more than fraying fabric… well, maybe Heidi Montag first, then fraying fabric. (back)

(front)

The finished product all nice and smocky-like. What I love about smocking too? Is that there is a stretch to the fabric just by the way that you hand stitch it together. It makes for an intering piece to use in construction of something completely different (ie projects I have not yet dreamt up yet) I am just trying to master the art of smocking because I happen to love the effect!

Kitten likes to ruin everything… but in this case, she has good taste and told me she liked my work. She later texted me to see if she could commission me for some work she would like done in her penthouse. I have not yet decided whether I shall take the work or not.

﻿A good friend of mine, Miss Kristin, agreed to help me design a header/ logo for my blog being that she does some design work on her own through Stuff.in.a.Martini.Glass. She agreed to do it pro bono to beef up her portfolio and also because I firmly believe she wanted to help a sistah out. So I gave her the below rough sketch based on an idea that I had for “Prim and Propah” tanks, as a sort of play on being girly but also kicking butt and taking names, whilst crafting.

She came up with an absolutely adorable tank theme with browns, yellows and pinks and incorporated buttons and threads (for obvious reasons) but also shook it up with some martinis and cupcakes (Mmmmm, sounds like a perfect night in)﻿. She not only did this very professionally for me (asking all the right questions and tailoring it to my tastes) but she did it pretty darn efficiently/quickly… so I had no time to get impatient!

Check out her header for moi and also the button that she did for the blog as well. I am elated because I am starting to feel like this little bloggie of mine is coming together into something that I can be proud of and spend time on, while not feeling like I am wasting away without a creative outlet.

New Blog Header, Holla!

Blog Button, Holla!

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Check out some of Kristin’s made to order Martini’s that are pretty fun if you ask little ol’ me. All you have to do is share an idea and she can work with you to make your ideas/dreams/wishes a reality. Was that a smidge over the top?? Wellp, I am pretty happy with my blog header if you haven’t noticed yet.

Send ideas to designs@stuffinamartini.com

Well as I keep working on this quilted, turquoise and purple creation, I am consistently motivated at how this which was just an inspiring fabric has turned itself into what will be a messenger bag. I used some smocking from a previous project along with the quilted squares from current project to create the base of the bag. I am rather impressed this week and look forward to seeing this bag finished in the next two nights (time and motivation permitting). Yay, exciting!